Annick Goutal, Eau d’Hadrien, 'Hadrien's Water', 100 ml. or 3.5 oz. Flacon, Eau de Parfum, Limited Edition, Baccarat, 132/150, 1981, Paris,

Annick Goutal’s career as a perfumer was never presumed. She blossomed late, coming to perfume making after a career as a prizewinning pianist and model. She then met a man, separated from him, and found herself alone with a baby .. her daughter Camille. She was then diagnosed with breast cancer and married her childhood sweetheart. She went into the skin cream business with a friend and instinctively felt they were missing two things, fragrance and packaging.

Then, in 1977, she met perfumer Henri Sorsana, a Grasse perfumeur, and spent the next seven years memorising ingredients and honing her talent as an extraordinary nose. The words were the same .. note, harmony, key... "I was back with music again, with that part of myself I had been sadly cut off from". Her first three fragrances, Folavril, Passion .. her own personal perfume .. and Eau d'Hadrien set her apart. She later opened a small-scale perfumery in Rue de Bellechasse, Paris in 1980 in Saint Germain. Each fragrance is a touchstone, a reminder of someone or something important in Goutal's life. "Like precious bouquets, gathering the rarest and most noble of natural essences, they are composed as a symphony, note by note, in an eternal quest for balance, quality and perfect harmony". Her fragrance following is cult - once you have sampled the fruits of Annick Goutal you'll be a devotee. The impalpable Eau d'Hadrien is a favourite of fashionable stars such as Madonna and Prince ... even the Guerlain family comes to Annick Goutal.

Five years later she had a dedicated clientele and signed an agreement with the Tattinger group putting her name along side the famed champagne house and Baccarat Crystal. During the 1980s her success was immediate amongst niche European perfume circles as well as America where she was stocked by luxury department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Saks.

Sadly Annick lost her battle with breast cancer in 1999 at the age of 53. Her daughter Camille Goutal now continues her legacy. She is joined by house nose Isabelle Doyen. Together the pair has released a series of fragrances to honour Camille’s mother in the same way Annick had honored her daughter with creations Petite Cherie and Eau De Camille, two perfumes Annick created for her daughter as she progressed towards adulthood. Eau D’Hadrien was one of Annick’s first creations.

Eau d’Hadrien was launched in 1981, and thirty years on, it is still relevant to today’s consumer. For Eau D’Hadrien, Goutal was inspired by the Mediterranean and Marguerite Yourcenar’s novel Memoirs of Hadrien. It conjures a sense of gardens filled with citrus fruit ripened by the Italian sun, a place she held close to her heart. Eau d’Hadrien offers no surprises in the way it unfolds. Instead, it’s beauty lies in the selection of its ingredients. Eau d’Hadrien is a golden citrus fragrance because it’s structure revolves around the scent of Sicilian Lemon, Citron and Bergamot.

The addition of Grapefruit and Green Mandarin brings a bitterness that plays nicely against the sweetness of Ylang Ylang, the main floral note that warms this citrus cocktail. Ylang is paired with aldehydes giving the fragrance effervescence, and Goutal’s signature Rose in small dosage provides the floral component with more complexity. It is Annick’s use of Cypress that wins one's heart. Annick knew she would achieve her vision of the Mediterranean by including it in her composition. She spoke of the scent that can be obtained by rubbing the branches between your palms. The Cypress note in Eau d’Hadrien adds an earthiness that in some ways mimics the scent of human sweat. It add an authenticity and character lacking in other traditional eau de colognes. Gently melting away to a silage of soft musks, lovers of this style of fragrance should make Goutal’s Hadrien a must try. "Goutal's woody citrus potion delivers a potent burst of citrus flavor cut with a heavy woody base. Long long long lasting scent that has certain elegance to it.”

Eau d'Hadrien is a Citrus Aromatic fragrance for both women and men. It was created by Annick Goutal together with Francis Camail. The perfume is the winner of award FiFi Award Hall Of Fame 2008. The fragrance features Cypress, Grapefruit, Lemon, Sicilian Lemon, Citron, Mandarin Orange, Aldehydes, and Ylang Ylang.

Offered here is a stunning sealed Baccarat crystal flacon containing 100 mls. of this beautiful Eau de Parfum. The stopper and design on the bottle are gilded. The bottle is presented in a sumptuous red Baccarat box with gorgeous silk lining. Still sealed and never used. Absolutely full. A truly stunning piece ... A gorgeous fragrance! Highly collectible. Only one hundred and fifty of these were produced, and this one is # 132 out of 150. This is a fabulous fragrance .. very citrusy !!